User manual

Connect Tech BlueStorm/Express User Manual
Revision 0.02
6
Introduction
Connect Tech's BlueStorm/Express family offers compatibility with the next generation in
computer bus standards. Available in two, four, eight and sixteen ports, these x1 lane PCI
Express serial cards make it easy to add a wide variety of serial communications options to
computers with a PCI Express bus. Your existing serial peripherals can connect directly to the
BlueStorm/Express serial card, using legacy application software from your PCI system.
Instead of relying on shared parallel bus architecture, PCI Express is built around bidirectional,
dedicated point-to-point “lanes.” This technology allows extensive future scalability. With the
future in mind, Connect Tech designed the BlueStorm/Express to ensure compatibility with
future versions of the PCI Express bus.
The BlueStorm/Express is perfect for a variety of applications such as retail/point of sale,
automated teller machines, transportation stations, lottery terminals and self-service kiosks,
among others.
Features
● 2, 4, 8, or 16 hardware switchable RS-232/422/485 ports
● x1 lane PCI Express, compatible with any PCI Express slot width
● Supports full duplex (four wire) with RTS/CTS flow control, half duplex (two
wire) with auto TxD echo cancellation and multi-drop (four wire) communication
modes in RS-422/485
● Bidirectional data communication speeds to 1.8432 Mbps in RS-422/485 and
921.6 Kbps in RS-232
● Hardware selectable for tri-state on power-up in RS-485 modes (applies to two and
four port BlueStorm/Express cards and the BlueStorm/Express Opto)
● Surge suppression on every signal of every port
● Optical isolation models available, rated at 3kVisolation on all ports
● Operating temperature range of 0ºC to 70ºC
● Software support for QNX 4.X/6.X, Linux, Windows 2000/CE/XP/XP
x64/XPe/Server 2003/Server 2003 x64 and Vista
● Plug and play - no jumpers to set for memory or interrupt configuration